Break out the bongos, hippies! Monday marks the summer solstice, when the sun hits its highest angle of the year. Expect highs in the 90s with a strong chance of drum circles. The annual astronomical event means summer has now officially arrived. And D.C. cops are, naturally, quite busy. Tis the season for peak crime, after all (curfew at 11 p.m., kids): WaPo reports on fatal shootings in Brightwood and Washington Highlands over the weekend–one following a go-go concert on Georgia Avenue. Just last night, police responded to two additional shootings and an armed carjacking. WUSA-TV also reports of a possible Father's Day "riot" at the Laurel, Md., youth detention facility that houses the District's most violent juvenile offenders.

The Post today dishes up a infuriating tale of how the alleged perpetrators of a string of gold burglaries, targeting Indian and South Asian families in Northern Virginia, are walking free: "The case imploded through a combination of bad luck, smart criminals and savvy defense lawyers." Despite making seven arrests, police have not recovered a single piece of stolen property:

"This is absolutely a joke," said Jaya Sapre, a Fairfax woman whose family lost more than $20,000 in gold and high-end jewelry.

D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty finished in 16th place out of more than 2,000 participants in the city's first triathlon over the weekend. No reports of booing from the sidelines. 

Metro officials are planning a 10 a.m. ceremony Tuesday at Fort Totten Park to remember the victims of last year's deadly rail crash on the red line. Some politicians are taking the opportunity to call for national transit-safety standards.

Video of Summer Solstice Fest 2009 in Malcolm X / Meridian Hill Park by rkcrawf/YouTube

But spring ended last weekend, and this weekend, it's as if everyone marked their lunar calendar and said, "Yeah, D.C.'s not a summer place—I am outta here." Place felt absolutely abandoned.

Some notes on things:

Washington Post sent Paul Farhi to Los Angeles to cover the Michael Jackson aftermath. Sunday's front page brought some results: A story about how officials are seeking a second interview with Jackson's personal doctor. Not bad, but we need more, Farhi! Stay out there, and good on the Post for investing in this story.

Eli Saslow, making an appearance on the Metro desk, chimes in with a big narrative about the Metro crash. The piece starts really slowly, as if you're, like, getting on a Metro train. But it picks up pace, again, just like a Metro ride, toward the middle.

And, you know, you can never go wrong with this fascinating piece on how this whole firetruck–Dominican Republic story went down.